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INVESTMENT FUNDS INC0000820892false2013-10-282013-10-310000.00010.00010.0001<b>Example </b>3781575554748917573084430612591845688<b>Portfolio Turnover </b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenCoreBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenCoreBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenCoreBondFund column period compact * ~</div>000000.00010.00010.00010.00010.0001<b>Example</b>508663163112616978185183632059029978976333621492176019601404817<b>Portfolio Turnover </b><b>Example </b><b>Portfolio Turnover </b>Nuveen Core Bond Fund<br>(formerly Nuveen Intermediate Term Bond Fund)Nuveen Core Plus Bond FundInvestment ObjectiveInvestment ObjectiveThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with current income to the extent consistent with preservation of capital.Fees and Expenses of the FundThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with high current income consistent with limited risk to capital.This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.Nuveen Strategic Income FundInvestment ObjectiveThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with total return.Fees and Expenses of the FundThis table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.50000<b>Shareholder Fees</b><br>(fees paid directly from your investment)<b>Shareholder Fees </b><br>(fees paid directly from your investment) <br/><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br />(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same, and the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond October 31, 2014. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:0.030000.010000<b>Redemption</b><b>No Redemption</b>151515The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.Principal Investment StrategiesPrincipal Risks<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br/>(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)0.00450.00450.00450.00250.010The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Currency Risk</b>&#8212;Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>Dollar Roll Transaction Risk</b>&#8212;The use of dollar rolls can increase the volatility of the Fund&#8217;s share price, and it may have an adverse impact on performance unless the sub-adviser correctly predicts mortgage prepayments and interest rates.<br></br><b>High Yield Securities Risk</b>&#8212;High yield securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly referred to as &#8220;junk&#8221; bonds, are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities.<br></br><b>Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk</b>&#8212;These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support.<br></br><b>Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk</b>&#8212;Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.Fund Performance0.00090.00090.0009<b>Example </b><b>Portfolio Turnover </b><b>Class A Annual Total Return</b>0.0080.01550.0055-0.0001-0.0001-0.00010.00790.01540.0054The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 22.45% and -8.60%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008.The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b>The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.October 31, 2014The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same, and the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond October 31, 2014. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:378157550.0425000054748917500.050.01000000073084430612591845688151515015Nuveen High Income Bond FundInvestment ObjectiveThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with a high level of current income.Fees and Expenses of the FundThis table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.0.047500000.00850.0160.0160.0110.006-0.0006-0.0006-0.0006-0.0006-0.00060.00910.01660.01660.01160.00660.00110.00110.00110.00110.00110.00250.010.010.00500.00540.00540.00540.00540.0054The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 85% of the average value of its portfolio.0.85Principal Investment StrategiesUnder normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in bonds, such as:<ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> U.S. government securities (securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities), including zero coupon securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> asset-backed securities; and</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> corporate debt obligations, including obligations issued by special-purpose entities that are backed by corporate debt obligations.</li></ul>Bonds in the Fund will be rated investment grade at the time of purchase or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or discounted after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. At least 65% of the Fund&#8217;s debt securities must be either U.S. government securities or securities that are rated A or better or are unrated and of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. Unrated securities will not exceed 25% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets.<br/><br/>The Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser selects securities using a &#8220;top-down&#8221; approach, which begins with the formulation of the sub-adviser&#8217;s general economic outlook. Following this, various sectors and industries are analyzed and selected for investment. Finally, the sub-adviser selects individual securities within these sectors or industries.<br/><br/>The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar denominated debt obligations of foreign corporations and governments.<br/><br/>Under normal market conditions, the Fund attempts to maintain a weighted average effective maturity for its portfolio securities of three to ten years and an average effective duration of two to six years. The Fund&#8217;s weighted average effective maturity and effective duration are measures of how the value of the Fund&#8217;s shares may react to interest rate changes.<br/><br/>To generate additional income, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in dollar roll transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month while contracting with the same party to repurchase similar securities at a future date.<br/><br/>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts traded on domestic or foreign securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.00.050.010000000The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 133% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Portfolio Turnover </b><b>Example </b>The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:Principal Investment StrategiesPrincipal RisksPrincipal RisksThe value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Currency Risk</b>&#8212;Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>Dollar Roll Transaction Risk</b>&#8212;The use of dollar rolls can increase the volatility of the Fund&#8217;s share price, and it may have an adverse impact on performance unless the sub-adviser correctly predicts mortgage prepayments and interest rates.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities.<br></br><b>Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk</b>&#8212;These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support.<br></br><b>Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk</b>&#8212;Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.<br></br><b>Zero Coupon Bonds Risk</b>&#8212;Because interest on zero coupon bonds is not paid on a current basis, the values of zero coupon bonds will be more volatile in response to interest rate changes than the values of bonds that distribute income regularly. Although zero coupon bonds generate income for accounting purposes, they do not produce cash flow, and thus the Fund could be forced to liquidate securities at an inopportune time in order to generate cash to distribute to shareholders as required by tax laws.You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.50000Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in debt securities, including:<ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">U.S. government securities (securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities);</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">asset-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">domestic and foreign corporate debt obligations, including obligations issued by special-purpose entities that are backed by corporate debt obligations; and</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">debt obligations of foreign governments.</li></ul>The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated debt obligations of foreign corporations and governments, including debt obligations issued by governmental and corporate issuers that are located in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest without limitation in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers.<br/><br/>The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in securities rated lower than investment grade or unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser (securities commonly referred to as &#8220;high yield&#8221; or &#8220;junk bonds&#8221;). The Fund will not invest in securities rated lower than CCC at the time of purchase or in unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. Unrated securities will not exceed 25% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets.<br/><br/>The Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser makes buy, sell, and hold decisions using a &#8220;top-down&#8221; approach, which begins with the formulation of the sub-adviser&#8217;s general economic outlook. Following this, various sectors and industries are analyzed and selected for investment. Finally, the sub-adviser selects individual securities within these sectors or industries. The sub-adviser also analyzes expected changes to the yield curve under multiple market conditions to help define maturity and duration selection.<br/><br/>To generate additional income, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in dollar roll transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month while contracting with the same party to repurchase similar securities at a future date.<br/><br/>Under normal market conditions, the Fund attempts to maintain a weighted average effective maturity for its portfolio securities of fifteen years or less and an average effective duration of three to eight years. The Fund&#8217;s weighted average effective maturity and average effective duration are measures of how the value of the Fund&#8217;s shares may react to interest rate changes.<br/><br/>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts traded on domestic or foreign securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, currency risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The Fund may also use derivatives to gain exposure to non-dollar denominated securities markets to the extent it does not do so through direct investments. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.1.33<b>Redemption</b>50816316311261<b>No Redemption</b>6975185183632059028978976333621492176019601404817<b>Class A Annual Total Return</b>The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b>Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in bonds rated lower than investment grade at the time of purchase or in unrated bonds of comparable quality (securities commonly referred to as &#8220;high-yield&#8221; securities or &#8220;junk bonds&#8221;). These bonds generally provide high income in an effort to compensate investors for their higher risk of default, which is the failure to make required interest or principal payments. High-yield bond issuers include small or relatively new companies lacking the history or capital to merit investment-grade status, former blue chip companies downgraded because of financial problems, companies electing to borrow heavily to finance or avoid a takeover or buyout, and firms with heavy debt loads. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and other investment companies (&#8220;investment companies&#8221;).<br></br>The Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser employs a bottom up approach to investing. The sub-adviser devotes more resources to evaluating individual securities rather than assessing macro-economic trends. Securities are selected using fundamental credit research to identify relative value in the market. Positions are sold in anticipation of credit deterioration or when a security is priced expensively relative to other comparable investments.<br></br>There is no minimum rating requirement and no limitation on the average maturity or average effective duration of securities held by the Fund.<br></br>The Fund may invest without limitation in debt obligations of foreign corporations and governments, provided that no more than 20% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may be invested in debt obligations issued by governmental and corporate issuers that are located in emerging market countries. A country is considered to have an &#8220;emerging market&#8221; if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world&#8217;s major economies, and the potential for rapid economic growth, provided that no issuer included in the Fund&#8217;s current benchmark index will be considered to be located in an emerging market country.<br></br>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, total return swaps and credit default swaps; and options on swap agreements. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, currency risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions.<b>Redemption</b><b>No Redemption</b>Fund PerformanceThe following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.www.nuveen.com/performance(800) 257-8787The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/ lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.0.0977The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.0.08820.07270.05680.07890.1290.13330.14040.04210.1121The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Currency Risk</b>&#8212;Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, total return swaps and credit default swaps; and options on swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>High Yield Securities Risk</b>&#8212;High yield securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly referred to as &#8220;junk&#8221; bonds, are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities.<br></br><b>Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk</b>&#8212;Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.<br></br><b>Other Investment Companies Risk</b>&#8212;When the Fund invests in other investment companies, you bear both your proportionate share of Fund expenses and, indirectly, the expenses of the other investment companies. Furthermore, the Fund is exposed to the risks to which the other investment companies may be subject.The bar chart and highest/ lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.0.07360.05320.05040.07270.07460.07910.08520.05950.0702<b>Class A Annual Total Return </b><b>Shareholder Fees </b><br/>(fees paid directly from your investment)<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br/>(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)0.06330.04510.04320.05980.05990.06540.07050.05180.07390.03910.02670.0148The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.0.03680.0601-0.07740.20680.06420.04020.0651All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 21.96% and -19.17%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 9.70% and -5.11%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.year-to-date total return2013-09-30-0.0243The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.highestThe following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.2009-06-30The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.(800) 257-8787www.nuveen.com/performanceThe Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.0.05540.02370.03130.0589-0.14810.3640.09120.24030.03340.1030.13680.02890.10510.0163-0.29110.56920.15350.00970.1789000001515015150.097lowestOctober 31, 20142008-09-30You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.50000-0.0511The contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") on Class B shares declines over a six-year period from purchase. The CDSC on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.0.69The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.The contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") on Class B shares declines over a six-year period from purchase. The CDSC on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.(800) 257-8787www.nuveen.com/performanceThe Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.year-to-date total returnAll after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.2013-09-30After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.-0.0099After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.highest2009-06-300.2245lowest2008-09-30-0.086<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b>0.03350.02040.02730.05680.06820.04210.06170.04950.03480.0340.05770.05950.05720.04240.0280.02790.04730.05180.04860.04360.06080.06390.00560.00560.00560.00560.00560.00250.010.010.00500.00130.00140.00140.00130.00140.00030.00030.00030.00030.00030.00970.01730.01730.01220.00731995-01-091995-01-091995-01-091993-01-052011-01-186765691761247576984554538723398610399396704061608184020411477906<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenStrategicIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenStrategicIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenStrategicIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenStrategicIncomeFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenCoreBondFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenCoreBondFund column period compact * ~</div>56917617612475<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenCoreBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenStrategicIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div>769545545387233986939939670406<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenStrategicIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div>16081840204114779060.12250.09220.07880.12250.17180.17550.18310.15780.14660.07780.0470.04750.07950.08130.08610.09160.10450.08010.08690.05810.05730.08440.08450.08980.09510.1060.0889year-to-date total return2013-09-300.0505highest2009-06-300.2196lowest2008-12-31-0.1917<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenHighIncomeBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenHighIncomeBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenHighIncomeBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenHighIncomeBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenHighIncomeBondFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenHighIncomeBondFund column period compact * ~</div>Fund Performance<b>Example </b>38416311261596539384227826939676407148520601509927<b>Portfolio Turnover </b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenIntermediateGovernmentBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenIntermediateGovernmentBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenIntermediateGovernmentBondFund column period compact * ~</div>Fees and Expenses of the FundThis table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.<b>Shareholder Fees</b><br>(fees paid directly from your investment)<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br />(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same, and the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond October 31, 2014. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 46% of the average value of its portfolio.Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond FundPrincipal Investment StrategiesInvestment ObjectiveThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital.Fees and Expenses of the FundThis table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.50000<b>Shareholder Fees </b><br>(fees paid directly from your investment)<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br />(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in bonds, such as:<ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> U.S. government securities (securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities), including zero coupon securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> asset-backed securities; and</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> corporate debt obligations, including obligations issued by special-purpose entities that are backed by corporate debt obligations.</li></ul>Up to 20% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may be invested in securities rated lower than investment grade or unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser (securities commonly referred to as &#8220;high yield&#8221; or &#8220;junk bonds&#8221;). The Fund will not invest in securities rated lower than CCC at the time of purchase or in unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. Unrated securities will not exceed 25% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets.<br></br>The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in debt obligations of foreign corporations and foreign governments. However, no more than 10% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may be invested in debt obligations of corporations and governments that are located in emerging market countries. A country is considered to have an &#8220;emerging market&#8221; if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world&#8217;s major economies, and the potential for rapid economic growth, provided that no issuer included in the Fund&#8217;s current benchmark index will be considered to be located in an emerging market country.<br></br>Up to 10% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may have non-U.S. dollar currency exposure from non-U.S. dollar denominated securities and currency derivatives, calculated on an absolute notional basis (i.e., adding together the absolute value of net long and net short exposures to individual non-U.S. dollar currencies).<br></br>The Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser selects securities using a &#8220;top-down&#8221; approach, which begins with the formulation of the sub-adviser&#8217;s general economic outlook. Following this, various sectors and industries are analyzed and selected for investment. Finally, the sub-adviser selects individual securities within these sectors or industries.<br></br>Under normal market conditions, the Fund attempts to maintain a weighted average effective maturity for its portfolio securities of fifteen years or less and an average effective duration of three to eight years. The Fund&#8217;s weighted average effective maturity and average effective duration are measures of how the value of the Fund&#8217;s shares may react to interest rate changes.<br></br>To generate additional income, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in dollar roll transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month while contracting with the same party to repurchase similar securities at a future date.<br></br>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts traded on domestic or foreign securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, currency risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The Fund may also use derivatives to gain exposure to non-dollar denominated securities markets to the extent it does not do so through direct investments. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.Principal RisksOctober 31, 2014The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same, and the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond October 31, 2014. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio.0.55Principal Investment StrategiesUnder normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in U.S. Government bonds. U.S. Government bonds are securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, including:<ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> U.S. Treasury obligations;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">Mortgage-backed securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC); and</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> Non-mortgage-related obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities, such as FNMA, FHLMC, Federal Farm Credit Banks, the Federal Home Loan Bank System, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, including obligations that are issued by private issuers and guaranteed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program.</li></ul>U.S. Treasury obligations and some obligations of U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Other U.S. Government securities are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Still others are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality.<br></br>The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets, collectively, in non-U.S. Government debt obligations, asset-backed securities, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, corporate debt obligations, and municipal securities. Such securities will be rated investment grade at the time of purchase or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so.<br></br>In selecting securities for the Fund, the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser first determines its economic outlook and the direction in which inflation and interest rates are expected to move. In selecting individual securities consistent with this outlook, the sub-adviser evaluates factors such as credit quality, yield, maturity, liquidity, and portfolio diversification.<br></br>Under normal market conditions, the Fund attempts to maintain a weighted average effective maturity between three and ten years and an effective duration of between two and one-half and seven years. The Fund&#8217;s weighted average effective maturity and effective duration are measures of how the value of the Fund&#8217;s shares may react to interest rate changes.<br></br>To generate additional income, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in dollar roll transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month while contracting with the same party to repurchase similar securities at a future date.<br></br>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: futures contracts; options on futures contracts, swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, security indexes and specific securities and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts that are traded on domestic securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio, or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use derivatives to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Currency Risk</b>&#8212;Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>Dollar Roll Transaction Risk</b>&#8212;The use of dollar rolls can increase the volatility of the Fund&#8217;s share price, and it may have an adverse impact on performance unless the sub-adviser correctly predicts mortgage prepayments and interest rates.<br></br><b>High Yield Securities Risk</b>&#8212;High yield securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly referred to as &#8220;junk&#8221; bonds, are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities.<br></br><b>Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk</b>&#8212;These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support.<br></br><b>Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk</b>&#8212;Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.<br></br><b>Zero Coupon Bonds Risk</b>&#8212;Because interest on zero coupon bonds is not paid on a current basis, the values of zero coupon bonds will be more volatile in response to interest rate changes than the values of bonds that distribute income regularly. Although zero coupon bonds generate income for accounting purposes, they do not produce cash flow, and thus the Fund could be forced to liquidate securities at an inopportune time in order to generate cash to distribute to shareholders as required by tax laws.Fund PerformanceThe following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.<b>Class A Annual Total Return</b>During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 13.06% and -6.39%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008.Principal RisksThe value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of futures contracts; options on futures contracts, swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, security indexes and specific securities and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>Dollar Roll Transaction Risk</b>&#8212;The use of dollar rolls can increase the volatility of the Fund&#8217;s share price, and it may have an adverse impact on performance unless the sub-adviser correctly predicts mortgage prepayments and interest rates.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities.<br></br><b>Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk</b>&#8212;These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support.The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b>The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.Fund PerformanceThe following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.www.nuveen.com/performance(800) 257-8787The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/ lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.The bar chart and highest/ lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.<b>Class A Annual Total Return </b>During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 5.92% and -2.41%, respectively, for the quarters ended December 31, 2008 and June 30, 2004.year-to-date total return0.042500000.010000002013-09-300000-0.0121515015highest2008-12-310.0592lowest2004-06-30-0.0241Nuveen Inflation Protected Securities FundInvestment ObjectiveThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with total return while providing protection against inflation.Fees and Expenses of the FundThis table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.<br></br>Effective August 31, 2009, the Fund&#8217;s investment objective was changed from providing &#8220;current income that is exempt from state income tax&#8221; to providing &#8220;current income,&#8221; in each case to the extent consistent with preservation of capital. As of the same date, the Fund&#8217;s investment strategies were significantly broadened, consistent with this new investment objective. As a result, the performance information presented below reflects the performance of an investment portfolio that, prior to August 31, 2009, differed materially from the Fund&#8217;s portfolio thereafter.The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 52% of the average value of its portfolio.Principal Investment StrategiesPrincipal RisksAll after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.Fund PerformanceAfter-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.0.00460.00460.00460.00460.010.00250.0050The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:0.0010.0010.0010.0010.00810.01560.01060.0056<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b><b>Redemption</b><b>No Redemption</b>-0.0004-0.0004-0.0004-0.00040.030000.00770.01520.01020.005200.01000000000015150150.00470.00470.00470.00470.00250.010.00500.03870.02520.02570.07760.08790.08330.04210.08150.00290.00290.00290.00290.01010.01760.01260.00760.05310.03650.03530.05430.060.06480.05950.0643-0.0016-0.0016-0.0016-0.00160.00850.0160.0110.0060.04550.02960.02930.04230.04810.05260.05180.05430.03950.03530.02080.03680.058-0.10840.24040.07690.04650.0849<b>Class A Annual Total Return</b><b>Redemption</b><b>No Redemption</b><b>Redemption</b><b>No Redemption</b>0.04250005001551045300.01005001551045366948933317566948933317500008528465813091381185312916980000852846581309151501513811853129169838416311261<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenCorePlusBondFund column period compact * ~</div>596539384227826939676407148520601509927<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenCorePlusBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenCorePlusBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenCorePlusBondFund column period compact * ~</div>0.01550.0148<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenCorePlusBondFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div>0.0163You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.0.032500000.0776October 31, 20140.00420.00420.00420.00420.0928-0.00380.00250.010.0050The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.0.053<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenCorePlusBondFund column period compact * ~</div>0.00140.00140.00140.00140.00810.01560.01060.0056504159108576734933371798568505853131384185612947010.46The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.(800) 257-8787www.nuveen.com/performanceThe Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.50415910857673493337179All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.856850585313After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.0.0498After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.1384185612947010.0207<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenIntermediateGovernmentBondFund column period compact * ~</div>year-to-date total return2013-09-30<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenIntermediateGovernmentBondFund column period compact * ~</div>-0.0183highest2009-06-300.1306<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenIntermediateGovernmentBondFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div>lowest2008-09-30-0.0639-0.0101-0.0172-0.00660.01240.01780.02250.01730.02470.01880.01210.01190.05820.06160.06840.06980.06520.03570.02610.0250.04360.04510.04840.0590.04830.04420.06050.06410.07090.07040.06010.03330.01960.0210.0380.0410.04010.02850.03310.03840.04270.05270.04010.03750.05040.0550.06090.06410.05822004-10-012004-10-012004-10-012004-10-012004-10-012004-10-012002-10-252002-10-252002-10-252009-10-282009-10-282002-10-25<b>Shareholder Fees</b><br>(fees paid directly from your investment)The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.During the eight-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 5.25% and -4.18%, respectively, for the quarters ended March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2008.The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Currency Risk</b>&#8212;Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; index- and other asset-linked notes; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>High Yield Securities Risk</b>&#8212;High yield securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly referred to as &#8220;junk&#8221; bonds, are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates. In addition, because the interest and/or principal payments on inflation protected securities are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by the Fund may be irregular. In a period of sustained deflation, the inflation protected securities held by the Fund, and consequently the Fund itself, may not pay any income.<br></br><b>Index Methodology Risk</b>&#8212;There can be no assurance that the U.S. or any foreign inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services.<br></br><b>Inflation Risk</b>&#8212;If the rate of inflation falls, the principal value of and/or interest payments on inflation protected debt securities held by the Fund will decrease.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. Inflation protected securities may react differently from other debt securities to changes in interest rates. Generally, the value of an inflation protected security is affected by changes in &#8220;real&#8221; interest rates, which are stated interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Values of these securities normally fall when real interest rates rise and rise when real interest rates fall.<br></br><b>Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk</b>&#8212;These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support.<br></br><b>Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk</b>&#8212;Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.<br></br><b>Tax Consequences of Inflation Adjustments</b>&#8212;Because inflation adjustments to the principal amount of an inflation protected security will be included in the Fund&#8217;s income, the Fund may have to make income distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash it receives.The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.year-to-date total return2013-09-30-0.066highest2008-03-310.0525lowest2008-12-31-0.0418All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.0000<b>Example </b>2961499847451466310152620806540267110917671200602<b>Portfolio Turnover </b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenShortTermBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenShortTermBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenShortTermBondFund column period compact * ~</div>The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.(800) 257-8787www.nuveen.com/performanceThe Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.0.52Nuveen Short Term Bond FundInvestment ObjectiveYou may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with current income while maintaining a high degree of principal stability.Fees and Expenses of the Fund50000This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in &#8220;What Share Classes We Offer&#8221; on page 53 of the Fund&#8217;s prospectus, &#8220;How to Reduce Your Sales Charge&#8221; on page 56 of the prospectus and &#8220;Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares&#8221; on page S-97 of the Fund&#8217;s statement of additional information.You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.50000<b>Shareholder Fees </b></br>(fees paid directly from your investment)The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.October 31, 2014The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same and the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond October 31, 2014. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:<b>Redemption</b><b>No Redemption</b>The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund&#8217;s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund&#8217;s portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.0.42Principal Investment StrategiesUnder normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in bonds, such as:<ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">U.S. government securities, which are securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> asset-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> corporate debt obligations, including obligations issued by special-purpose entities that are backed by corporate debt obligations; and</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> municipal securities.</li></ul>Up to 20% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may be invested in securities rated lower than investment grade or unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser (securities commonly referred to as &#8220;high yield&#8221; or &#8220;junk bonds&#8221;). The Fund will not invest in securities rated lower than CCC at the time of purchase or in unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. Unrated securities will not exceed 5% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets.<br></br>The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in debt obligations of foreign corporations and foreign governments. However, no more than 10% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may be invested in debt obligations of corporations and governments that are located in emerging market countries. A country is considered to have an &#8220;emerging market&#8221; if it has a relatively low gross national product per capita compared to the world&#8217;s major economies, and the potential for rapid economic growth, provided that no issuer included in the Fund&#8217;s current benchmark index will be considered to be located in an emerging market country.<br></br>Up to 10% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets may have non-U.S. dollar currency exposure from non-U.S. dollar denominated securities and currency derivatives, calculated on an absolute notional basis (i.e., adding together the absolute value of net long and net short exposures to individual non-U.S. dollar currencies).<br></br>The Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser selects securities using a &#8220;top-down&#8221; approach which begins with the formulation of the sub-adviser&#8217;s general economic outlook. Following this, various sectors and industries are analyzed and selected for investment. Finally, the sub-adviser selects individual securities within these sectors or industries.<br></br>Under normal market conditions, the Fund attempts to maintain a weighted average effective maturity and an average effective duration for its portfolio securities of one to three years. The Fund&#8217;s weighted average effective maturity and effective duration are measures of how the value of the Fund&#8217;s shares may react to interest rate changes.<br></br>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts traded on domestic or foreign securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, currency risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The Fund may also use derivatives to gain exposure to non-dollar denominated securities markets to the extent it does not do so through direct investments. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.Principal RisksThe value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:<br></br><b>Call Risk</b>&#8212;If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted.<br></br><b>Credit Risk</b>&#8212;Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer&#8217;s ability or willingness to make such payments.<br></br><b>Currency Risk</b>&#8212;Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio.<br></br><b>Derivatives Risk</b>&#8212;The use of options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments.<br></br><b>High Yield Securities Risk</b>&#8212;High yield securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly referred to as &#8220;junk&#8221; bonds, are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities.<br></br><b>Income Risk</b>&#8212;The Fund&#8217;s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates.<br></br><b>Interest Rate Risk</b>&#8212;Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund&#8217;s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities.<br></br><b>Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk</b>&#8212;These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support.<br></br><b>Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk</b>&#8212;Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.Fund PerformanceThe following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.The Fund&#8217;s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.www.nuveen.com/performance(800) 257-8787The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s performance from year to year for Class A shares.The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.<b>Class A Annual Total Return</b>During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund&#8217;s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 5.45% and -3.37%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.year-to-date total return2013-09-300.0086highest2009-06-300.0545lowest2008-12-31-0.0337<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br />(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)The table below shows the variability of the Fund&#8217;s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.<br></br>Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.0.0219All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.-0.0006After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.0.0942After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.-0.03160.11960.0694<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>for the Periods Ended<br/>December 31, 2012</b>0.12740.0640.022500000.010000001515015Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in inflation protected debt securities. These securities will be issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, and domestic and foreign corporations. The Fund&#8217;s investments in U.S. Government inflation protected securities will include U.S. Treasury inflation protected securities as well as inflation protected securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government. Securities issued by the U.S. Treasury are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Some securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality.<br></br>Inflation protected debt securities are designed to provide protection against the negative effects of inflation. Unlike traditional debt securities, which pay regular fixed interest payments on a fixed principal amount, interest payments on inflation protected debt securities will vary with the rate of inflation. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U) as the inflation measure. Inflation protected debt securities issued by foreign governments and corporations are generally linked to a non-U.S. inflation rate.<br></br>Inflation protected debt securities have two common structures. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers use a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. If the index measuring the rate of inflation rises, the principal value of the security will increase. Because interest payments will be calculated with respect to a larger principal amount, interest payments also will increase. Conversely, if the index measuring the rate of inflation falls, the principal value of the security will fall and interest payments will decrease. Other issuers adjust the interest rates payable on the security according to the rate of inflation, but the principal amount remains the same.<br></br>In the event of sustained deflation, the U.S. Treasury has guaranteed that it will repay at maturity at least the original face value of the inflation protected securities that it issues. Other inflation protected debt securities that accrue inflation into their principal value may or may not provide a similar guarantee. For securities that do not provide such a guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the security repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal value.<br></br>Up to 20% of the Fund&#8217;s assets may be invested in holdings that are not inflation protected, which may include:<ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">domestic and foreign corporate debt obligations;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px"> debt obligations of foreign governments;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities;</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">asset-backed securities; and</li></ul><ul type="square"><li style="margin-left:-20px">derivative instruments, as discussed below.</li></ul>When selecting securities for the Fund, the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser uses a &#8220;top-down&#8221; approach, looking first at general economic factors and market conditions. The sub-adviser then selects securities that it believes have strong relative value based on an analysis of a security&#8217;s characteristics (such as principal value, coupon rate, maturity, duration and yield) in light of these general economic factors and market conditions. The sub-adviser will sell securities if the securities no longer meet these criteria, if other investments appear to be a better relative value, to manage the duration of the Fund, or to meet redemption requests.<br></br>Up to 10% of the Fund&#8217;s net assets may be invested in securities that are rated lower than investment grade at the time of purchase or that are unrated and of comparable quality (securities commonly referred to as &#8220;high-yield&#8221; securities or &#8220;junk bonds&#8221;). The Fund will not invest in securities rated lower than B at the time of purchase or in unrated securities of comparable quality as determined by the Fund&#8217;s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so.<br></br>The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, and may invest without limitation in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign corporations and governments.<br></br>The Fund may invest in debt securities of any maturity, but expects to maintain, under normal market conditions, a weighted average effective maturity of between eight and fifteen years and an average effective duration of between four and ten years. The Fund&#8217;s weighted average effective maturity and average effective duration are measures of how the Fund may react to interest rate changes.<br></br>The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: options; futures contracts; options on futures contracts; foreign currency contracts; options on foreign currencies; interest rate caps, collars, and floors; index- and other asset-linked notes; swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, currency rates, security indexes and specific securities, and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts traded on domestic or foreign securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, currency risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund&#8217;s yield or to enhance returns. The Fund may also use derivatives to gain exposure to non-dollar denominated securities markets to the extent it does not do so through direct investments. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.0.00390.00390.00390.00390.00250.010.00500.00090.00090.00090.00090.00730.01480.00980.0048-0.0002-0.0002-0.0002-0.00020.00710.01460.00960.0046<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesNuveenInflationProtectedSecuritiesFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesNuveenInflationProtectedSecuritiesFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenInflationProtectedSecuritiesFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenInflationProtectedSecuritiesFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenInflationProtectedSecuritiesFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedNuveenInflationProtectedSecuritiesFund column period compact * ~</div>29614998474514663101526208065402671109176712006020.01850.00960.01430.03890.0564-0.04440.1280.03330.00480.04730.02340.01480.01510.03910.04520.04960.01260.03570.02760.01630.01690.0340.02880.02840.02750.01620.01670.03150.03130.02980.02030.03930.01810.0292<div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNuveenShortTermBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNuveenShortTermBondFund column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.nuveen.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsNuveenShortTermBondFundBarChart column period compact * ~</div>1994-02-042011-09-221992-12-142009-10-281992-12-141992-12-14<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br />(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase. Fee applies to the following types of accounts under $1,000 held directly with the Fund: individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and accounts established pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA).The Fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse other Fund expenses through October 31, 2014 so that total annual fund operating expenses, after fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements and excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, do not exceed 0.78%, 1.53% and 0.53% for Class A, Class C and Class I shares, respectively. Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will not be terminated prior to that time without the approval of the Fund's board of directors.The contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") on Class B shares declines over a six-year period from purchase. The CDSC on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.The Fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse other Fund expenses through October 31, 2014 so that total annual fund operating expenses, after fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements and excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, do not exceed 0.84%, 1.59%, 1.59%, 1.09%, and 0.59% for Class A, Class B, Class C, Class R3 and Class I shares, respectively. Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will not be terminated prior to that time without the approval of the Fund's board of directors.Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was -2.43%. Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was -0.99%. Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was 5.05%. Performance presented prior to 3/14/03 represents that of First American High Yield Bond Fund, which merged into the Fund on that date. The Fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse other Fund expenses through October 31, 2014 so that total annual fund operating expenses, after fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements and excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, do not exceed 0.77%, 1.52%, 1.02% and 0.52% for Class A, Class C, Class R3 and Class I shares, respectively. Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will not be terminated prior to that time without the approval of the Fund's board of directors.Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was -1.83%. The Fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse other Fund expenses through October 31, 2014 so that total annual fund operating expenses, after fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements and excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, do not exceed 0.85%, 1.60%, 1.10%, and 0.60% for Class A, Class C, Class R3, and Class I shares, respectively. Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will not be terminated prior to that time without the approval of the Fund's board of directors.Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was -1.20%. Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was -6.60%. The Fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse other Fund expenses through October 31, 2014 so that total annual fund operating expenses, after fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements and excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, do not exceed 0.72%, 1.47%, 0.97% and 0.47% for Class A, Class C, Class R3 and Class I shares, respectively. Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will not be terminated prior to that time without the approval of the Fund's board of directors.Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2013 was 0.86%.